Genre: Philosophy/Essays
Page Count 183
‘It takes a life to know how to live’. I read that line years ago while scrolling through my Facebook news feed. I guess you could find good things too on there. Some time later, I presented this quote during my introduction at my English academy class.
I was intrigued and thoughtful about life in those days, and unfortunately, my fascination took me only as far as one-line quotation with anonymous authors. Therefore, with my retrospective life in view, I can appreciate the books and the knowledge I acquire from them now with much gratefulness and meaning; these books are the whole compared to the scraps that I found years back in my thirst for knowledge and understanding.
And it is in light of that quote’s small wisdom that I begin my review of this book, which I found to be much bigger in comparison.
Durant’s ‘Fallen Leaves’ is his collection of thoughts about various topical issues of our lives that have been, are, and will be timeless in their emergency. It’s a book of life-long wisdom, since Durant had lived through 9 decades by the time he wrote it, and had seen almost the whole world change, not only once but many times. Wars, revolutions, altering values, failures, achievements, and much more, it is a lot that one learns only living through 90 years, let alone reading, learning, thinking and writing too.
Yet, no matter how much one learns, life’s spontaneity always takes the lead; therefore we always remain in the learning phase and in such, humble as well. Until, of course, the end nears itself, and we get that ultimate prize of the old age: the privilege to look back on a life lived! Maybe then, and then only, would our starting quotation stand true: that it is only after living a life that we could come to grasp the art of living one.
How tragic it is then that the learned man will not be living it again, instead he would leave it sooner than most. But old life must make way for new life, for life to keep winning over death, that Durant makes clear throughout this book; and he also, thankfully, leaves with the new lives the wisdom of his old one, in order for us to benefit from it however much we can.
I came to know about Sir Durant a couple of years ago when I was searching, quite eagerly, for my first, introductory book on philosophy – that would introduce me with ease and simplicity into the overwhelming world of philosophy. Durant’s ‘The Story of Philosophy’ came multiple times as the first recommendations from multiple internet sources that I checked.
My excitement and hunt for that book started right away, but it was after a few months that I got my hand on it, and some more months when I started reading it. Despite my keen excitement, the book soon became overwhelming with its thick ideas from unfamiliar philosophers and dense prose; and its length worn me off bit by bit. By the end of it, I wrote in my review ‘this book should not be read but studied’.
‘Fallen Leaves’ on the other hand, although not an introductory book to philosophy, was opposite in many ways to ‘The Story of Philosophy’. Short, both in size and in its essays, with a most beautiful and arresting prose, that reading it was a source of renewed joy for me.
Durant’s life-long wisdom made a reader’s wish of mine come true, as he presented his thoughts on almost all the topics: from life to death, from religion to morality, from art to education, and so on. Such complete and calming wisdom has long been a wish of mine, and this book just offered that!
While this book does talk about everything, there’ll be things you’d love to read, but also things that you would find not as interesting or relevant. I, for myself, found this book at times ‘western’ and therefore some essays didn’t at all relate to my life in the east. Nevertheless, the option to skip or skim is always there.
All in all, Durant beautifully gripping prose reminded me that of Gibran’s, and
his wisdom too. This book is his life’s wisdom collected in one place. An asset,
a treasure!
Ratings: 5/5 ***** (October 27, 2020)